Ethics committees and Ethics Advisor of the University of Münster

Research autonomy is a constitutionally protected right and a prerequisite for conducting successful basic and applied research. Nevertheless, ethical limits do exist when it comes to research methods, institutional forms of research and the utilisation of research findings. Consequently, ethics votes are increasingly required for publications in scientific journals and project applications for external funding. In addition, higher education institutions have focused more strongly on the risks involved in security-relevant research in recent years.

Research ethics reflects the research process in all its stages and is based on the normative principles of the University and the “civil clause”.

Faculty-level ethics committees

In order to strengthen self-regulation in research, examine potential ethical risks and pitfalls within research projects and, above all, support academics and the granting of ethics votes, the following faculties at the University of Münster have set up their own ethics committees.

• School of Business and Economics (FB 04)
• Faculty of Medicine (FB 05)
• Faculty of Educational and Social Sciences (FB 06)
• Faculty of Psychology/Sport and Exercise Sciences (FB 07)
• Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science (FB 10)
• Institute for Geoinformatics (FB 14)

Tasks of the Ethics Advisor

The Ethics Advisor of the University counsels researchers, committees and the administration on ethical issues in research and, if necessary, on security issues (“dual use”). She supports the University’s departments in establishing new ethics committees, fields complaints, advises the Rectorate on ethical issues and supports structural processes that are relevant to research ethics. The Ethics Advisor cooperates with the faculty-level ethics committees and other key representatives, such as the Data Protection Officer and the legal advisors in the Research Affairs department. She is also the point of contact for applications for an ethics vote from departments that do not yet have an ethics commission. Due to specific responsibilities, she can forward requests to existing ethics commissions or to other offices of the university.

The processing time for issuing an ethics vote is four to six weeks. The application for an ethics vote is submitted by completing the questionnaire and sending it with all other required documents by e-mail to the Ethics Advisorr by e-mail.

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